A Better Way to Screen for Heart Disease?

Video: The Dangers of Heart Disease

Smoking cessation. Smoking is associated with higher levels of CRP and has been shown to harden arteries, aggravating the effects of inflammation. But the damage needn't be permanent: A 2007 study published in Hypertension revealed that within 10 years of quitting, former smokers' arteries look like those of people who've never smoked. On the other hand, middle-age smokers have about double the risk of dying from heart disease and strokes compared with nonsmokers.

Heart-healthy diet. Italian researchers have shown that CRP levels decreased by an average of 0.8 mg per liter over two years in obese premenopausal women who increased their activity and adopted a Mediterranean-style diet centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and fish instead of red meat and processed foods. "An anti-inflammatory diet is about reducing saturated fat and trans fats and eating more foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid—like flax seed, walnuts, and canola oil—and omega-3 fats, which fight inflammation," says Evangeline Lausier, a staff physician at Duke Integrative Medicine. She frequently recommends this diet to patients reluctant to take statins. On the flip side, a study published last month in the journal Circulation found that the typical American fast-food diet increases heart attack risk by 30 percent.

Physical activity. While a single bout of strenuous exercise can temporarily increase inflammatory chemicals, your body reaps anti-inflammatory benefits from a regular fitness routine, says Stanley Hazen, head of preventive cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic. An ideal amount for a healthy individual is five days a week of steady exercise (brisk walking, swimming, biking) for 30 to 45 minutes, he says. Do, though, avoid the kind of workout that leaves you very sore; this causes a spike in inflammation as the body rushes to heal itself.

Healthy waist size. Women who have a waist measurement of over 35 inches and men of over 40 inches are likely to have high levels of inflammation, since excess abdominal fat cells churn out too many inflammatory chemicals. What's deceptive is that many of these individuals also have high levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol and wrongly think they're protected from heart disease, says UCLA cardiologist Karol Watson. Cutting-edge research is now finding that HDL, which normally mops up excess cholesterol from arteries, can actually promote inflammation and add to plaque growth in people who already have high levels of inflammation. Whittling a few inches off the waist can go a long way toward solving that problem.

Adequate sleep. Poor sleeping habits appear to increase levels of inflammatory chemicals. A recent Duke University study found that women who took longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep had higher levels of CRP and another inflammation marker called interleukin-6 compared with those who fell asleep right away. And a May study published in the journal Sleep found that getting less than six hours a night doubles the risk of metabolic syndrome; it also found that sleeping too much—more than eight hours—resulted in more inflammation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says most adults need between seven and eight hours of shut-eye a night.